One of South America’s few remaining uncontactable indigenous tribes has been spotted in the Amazon jungle.
The tribe was photographed by the Brazilian government on the Brazil-Peru border, in what is one of the most remote parts of the rainforest.
The pictures were shot from an aeroplane and show red-painted tribe members pointing bows and arrows towards the camera.
They are standing outside thatched huts and surrounded by dense jungle.
Government officials claim that the images were taken to prove that indigenous people in this area do exist, and to help ensure that their land is protected.
Spokesperson Jose Carlos dos Reis Meirelles Junior said: “We did the overflight to show their houses, to show that they are there, to show they exist.
“This is very important because there are some who doubt their existence.”
Survival International, a group that supports tribal people around the world, highlighted the importance of ensuring that the territory of this group is protected.
Speaking last week, director Stephen Corry said: “These pictures are further evidence that uncontacted tribes really do exist.
“The world needs to wake up to this, otherwise, they will soon be made extinct.”
Following the international circulation of the pictures, authorities in Peru have promised to take measures to stop illegal loggers who travel into the Amazon in search of tropical hardwoods.
These are often the first people to encounter indigenous tribes.
Contact with outsiders is dangerous for isolated people because, in addition to the possibility of violent confrontations, they lack the antibodies to protect themselves from illnesses such as chicken pox and the common cold.
Corry said of last week’s announcement: “This is a positive first step from the Peruvian government, but it must act fast.
“It must stop the logging, remove the loggers and any other invaders from the uncontacted Indians’ land, and ensure that no-one else enters in the future.”
According to Survival International, there are approximately 500 isolated indigenous people living in the area.
Marco Tulio Valverde, an advisor to the regional government, said: “We haven’t determined if there are three different groups or only one, nomadic, which has been displaced.
“They only hunt, gather and fish, they don’t farm, but they know fire.”
It is thought that there are approximately 100 uncontacted tribes in the world, with over half of them living in Brazil or Peru.
